Chapter 262 Atonement for the Past
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”I was originally part of Dennis Aizinger’s party from the Royal Capital.”
Dennis… I remember he was aiming for an S-rank dungeon.
I heard he went back to the Royal Capital after the Thief left…
”Oh, I… I was kidnapped by Otto… against my will…”
”Laura… that Thief from back then…!”
Asuka’s eyes widened, and tears started to well up quickly.
Laura’s gaze turned to Asuka, and her body began to tremble.
(Oh, with Aelia from Koichi’s place…)
Dorothy seemed to remember too, making eye contact with me and giving a small nod.
There was a female Thief who was captured by Otto along with Aelia.
Was that her…?.
”Liz… I need to talk to this girl for a bit. Can you handle the greetings to the guild?”
Liz looked a bit confused for a moment, but after Frieda whispered something to her, she nodded at me.
I moved with Dorothy and Asuka, bringing the trembling Laura to a table in the corner of the hall.
”Kazumi, come here too…”
Kazumi, who was looking over here with concern, I called her over.
I felt like I couldn’t support Asuka alone right now.
* * *
”I’m sorry… Even though I was ordered by Otto… it was me and Sora who kidnapped Laura… I don’t know how to apologize…”
Asuka said this as she knelt in front of Laura.
”It seems like meeting me and Asuka brought back some bad memories for you…”
I spoke to Laura, who was still trembling slightly in front of me.
”No, I wanted to thank Mr. Hiroya and Ms. Dorothy. ──Thank you so much…”
After taking a deep breath, it seemed Laura managed to calm her shaking a bit and bowed her head.
”Then Ms. Asuka… I also got the mark of servitude and a crotch tattoo from Otto… so I know the pain of not being able to resist. So──please lift your head. It’s all Otto’s fault.”
”But…”
”I didn’t come to blame you. I just wanted to thank Mr. Hiroya and Ms. Dorothy.”
”You don’t need to thank us. We had to deal with that scoundrel too.”
Dorothy smiled gently.
Laura saw it and managed to return a weak smile.
I helped Asuka, who was still on her knees, to stand up and sit in a chair.
”I… my sins… will never be forgiven… that’s all there is to it…”
I heard that murmur, so Kazumi and I hugged Asuka’s arms to comfort her.
”If I had been left to him… I would’ve broken down… I really was saved… but──.”
Laura started trembling again, as if scared of something.
”But… I heard he came back as a Demonkin (Majin)…”
”It’s okay. That guy, Hiroya will easily crush him again. The next time we challenge an S-rank dungeon will be his death day.”
Kazumi gently patted Laura’s head, staying close to her.
”At least for a while, he won’t be coming out of any S-rank dungeons. So don’t worry.”
At my words, Laura managed to smile.
* * *
”Ever since that happened… I’ve become scared of men… and I haven’t been able to get along well with Dennis and the other party members. So…”
”So you joined ‘Rose Hip.’ That’s great. It’s a good clan.”
Kazumi said that, and Laura smiled happily.
”Yeah. Everyone’s really nice, and just when the ‘Great Labyrinth’ was discovered, they need my ability as a Thief. It’s fulfilling.”
”Rose Hip” is a clan made up of girls who have their own issues. Laura, who got seriously hurt by Otto, is probably doing okay in that clan. But if that’s the case…
”Are you, like, forcing yourself? My stuff, is it scary?”
Laura seems to have developed a pretty big fear of guys.
Just being next to me must be a lot of stress for her.
She shakes her head vigorously at my question.
”You’re…! Mr. Hiroya is fine! He’s the one who helped me!”
Seeing Laura lean forward from the table to say that, Kazumi and Dorothy give me a side-eye.
Huh?.
”Y-yeah… I’m glad to hear that.”
”Anyway… I really wanted to thank you properly.”
Laura sits back down and bows her head again.
”I want to give a proper thank you, and I’d like to meet Captain Simona… I mean, Advisor Simona too… After this exploration, can I come visit the Clan house?”
Laura looks up and asks Kazumi.
”Uh, yeah. Please come by. We have male members named Gorge and Noriss, but──oh, and Toldo is there too.”
”Toldo… is that the famous Toldo Freeberry!? I heard his grandkids are members of ‘Famière’…”
That’s surprising.
He’s an old perv, but he’s known as one of the best blacksmiths in the kingdom!.
”The other guys are… a bit scary, but Mr. Toldo is pretty old, right? Old people are fine.”
”Uh… I think Toldo is the scariest one, though…”
”Huh?”
Laura tilts her head at Kazumi’s quiet comment.
”W-well, since ‘Famière’ and ‘Rose Hip’ are close, you can come by anytime.”
Kazumi responds with a forced smile and a laugh.
”Laura! It’s about time we head out!”
Laura stands up as Frieda calls her from the guild counter.
”Thanks! I’m gonna do my best! ──Ms. Asuka, you hang in there too. We’re about to hit the dungeon!”
After Laura bowed beautifully from a standing position, she waved and dashed off to her friends.
We waved back, and the members of ‘Rose Hip,’ including Frieda, lightly raised their hands in response as they left the guild.
* * *
”Asuka… you okay?”
Asuka collapsed from her chair, putting her hands on the floor.
”It ain’t your fault, Asuka. It’s all Otto’s fault.”
”That’s right. Ms. Asuka apologized anyway. And she forgave her. That’s the end of it.”
At Kazumi and Dorothy’s words, Asuka weakly lifted her head.
”Hey… maybe that girl Aelia, Koichi’s girl… I don’t really remember her well…”
Asuka stared at me with unfocused eyes.
”Aelia… seems like her memories while she was with Otto are kinda fuzzy. So we shouldn’t bring it up right now.”
”I see… so that’s how it is… my sins…”
”Asuka! You ain’t got no sins!”
Liz, who had somehow appeared beside us, raised her voice.
Looking over, I saw all the clan members who had been talking to the guild staff at the counter had gathered around us.
”Sure, Asuka might’ve been ordered by Otto to do all sorts of bad stuff. But──.”
Rena gently hugged Asuka’s shoulders.
”──that’s all Otto’s wrongdoing. It ain’t your fault that you were enslaved.”
Rena’s tone was like a goddess.
”That’s right, Asu-Asu. The Asu-Asu who was a slave and the Asu-Asu now are 2 different people!”
”Asuka, just facing the sins from when you were being controlled is already enough.”
Meluda and Aluda call out to Asuka with tearful faces.
”Lady Asuka, we really want you to stop crying~.”
Uu gently pats Asuka’s head.
”Asu-Asu… everyone’s right. But if you still think you’re guilty…”
Martina forces Asuka to look up by placing her hands on both of Asuka’s cheeks.
”Yeah. We’ll share your guilt with you. Right, everyone?”
Liz, making eye contact with Martina, continues speaking…
asking us all.
Of course, everyone nods.
”If someone tries to judge Asuka’s past… we’ll all atone together. So Asuka…”
Sitting next to Martina, I look into Asuka’s eyes.
”Let’s go together with us… ‘family (Famière)’ forever.”
”Asuka… we all love you so much. You’ll stay with us, right?”
”You’ll be with Rena and the rest of us forever, right?”
Kazumi and Rena hug Asuka from behind.
”Is it… really okay? This is my sin… you’ll share it with me…?”
”Yeah. It’s not just about my husband, Gorge. We’ll all carry it together. So… follow us to the deepest part of the maze… to the ends of the earth… to the depths of hell, Asuka!”
Liz stands tall, extending her right hand to Asuka.
”Okay… I’ll follow you… together forever──.”
Asuka takes that hand and stands up.
Her eyes are filled with tears, but they shine brightly.
”It’s a promise, okay? A woman doesn’t go back on her word, right? Forever and always?”
In response to Liz’s teasing question, Asuka answers strongly.
”Of course… until the very end of my life.”
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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